Status of the Research Components of the Project

Component 1
Profile of Key Aquaculture Technologies and Fishing Practices

Thailand

Thailand fisheries sector can be classified into marine capture, coastal aquaculture, freshwater aquaculture and inland capture. Almost 80% of the total fishery production are coming from marine captured fisheries. Coastal aquaculture, freshwater aquaculture and inland captured fisheries contributing around 8.8%, 5.9% and 6.1%, respectively.

Freshwater Aquaculture
Fish farming practice in freshwater environment can be classified into four culture systems: pond culture, paddy field culture, ditch culture and cage culture. Considering the number of farms and area, pond culture is the most popular practice. However, in terms of productivity, cage culture is the most productive culture system. In addition, fish culture integrated with pig, poultry and rice farming, among others is also practiced to some extent.

Nile tilapia, catfish and Thai silver barb are the most popular freshwater species in Thailand contributing around 38%, 27% and 16%, respectively of the total freshwater fish production in 1999. Other species include common carp, striped catfish, striped snakehead and sepat siam. The use of monoculture and polyculture varies according to species. Omnivorous species like tilapia, silver barb, common carp, Chinese carp and mrigala were cultured in pond by using polyculture system while carnivorous species like walking catfish, snakehead, freshwater prawn and sand goby were cultured by monoculture system.

On the average, tilapia culture is more productive and profitable among monoculture systems (Table 2.1.8.1). Culture of snakehead in ponds, a high-value freshwater fish species is the least productive and profitable activity. Comparing across production environment, cage culture of tilapia is more productive and profitable than that in pond. Among integrated systems, fish-pig and fish-duck are more productive and profitable while rice-fish culture is the least productive and least profitable. In general, polyculture is more productive and profitable than monoculture. In pond polyculture, the higher the intensity level, the higher the yield and net returns.

Variable cost is an important component of the total costs, which accounts for more than 70% of the total cost in Thailand freshwater aquaculture. Feed cost is the most important component of variable cost in most species and intensity level.

With market price twice higher than other fish species, the breakeven price of snakehead is 3-5 times higher (US$ 1.08/kg - US$ 1.33/kg) than other species. The breakeven price in rice-fish farming is the highest among the integrated farming system while it is lowest in fish-chicken farming. In carp polyculture, the difference in breakeven price among intensive and semi-intensive farms is negligible.

Marine Capture
The marine capture fisheries can be broadly divided into commercial and small-scale sub-sectors. Small-scale vessels typically employ gillnets, small push nets, lift nets or other modern small-scale gear, or alternatively set traps, bag nets and other stationary gear in estuaries or protected inshore waters. As for commercial fisheries, trawlers and purse seines are the most important components of the fleet. Push nets and gillnets also take significant catches.

A structural change in Thailand's fisheries has taken place during the last 10 years. From 1985-1990, the number of fishing households and fishing boats decreased by 6.7% and 2.3%, respectively. The decrease in the number of small-scale fishing boats was largely due to the decrease in coastal fishing resources on one hand and the conflicts between small-scale and the commercial-scale fishers on the other. During 1990-1995, the number of fishing households and fishing boats in Thailand increased by 11.0% and 5.4%, respectively. The increase in fishing boats has been in the small-scale sector. Small-scale fishing boats account for 8.1% of the total increase while commercial boats have actually decreased in number by 3.7%. One reason for the change in commercial boats has been the creation of a boat-tenure system within the commercial fishing sector, which resulted in a decrease of the number of boats per household (Table 2.1.8.2).

Total cost of gears in capture fishery in Thailand ranges around Baht 36,000 to Baht 240,000 per unit unit, depending on the number of gear combination (Table 2.1.8.3). In general, the cost increases as number of gear increases. The fixed cost of single geared accounts 29%-35% of the total cost (29% for shrimp gillnets, 35% for cuttlefish trammel nets and 32% for Indo-Pacific mackerel gillnets) (Table 2.1.8.4). Variable cost items ranged from 65% to 71% of total fishing costs for single gear groups. On the other hand, there is a significant difference in the share of fixed costs between two-gear combination, three-gear and four-gear combination operations. In general, hired labour accounts for about 26%-49% of total costs.

 View Table 2.1.8.1.

 View Table 2.1.8.2.

 View Table 2.1.8.3.

 View Table 2.1.8.4.

•  Bangladesh
•  China
•  India
•  Indonesia
•  Malaysia
•  Philippines
•  Sri Lanka
•  Thailand
•  Vietnam